Supporting means for girders or the like



Aug. 26, 1952 w, PRATT 2,608,370

SUPPORTING MEANS FOR GIRDERS OR THE LIKE Filed April 12, 1950 2 SHEET$SHEET l Inventor c/OHN MHMTT Aug. 26, 1952 w, PRATT 2,603,370

' SUPPORTING MEANS FOR GIRDERS OR THE LIKE Filed April 12, 1950 SHEET$-SHEET 2 Inventor ch/w h. PM 77- Patented Aug. 26,1952

SUPPORTING'MEANS FOR GIRDERS OR. THE LIKE John William Pratt, Leicester, England, assignor to Follsain-Wycliffe F worth, England undries, Limited, Lutter- Application April 12, 1950, Serial minim In Great Britain August 23, 1948 9 Claims. (01. 248-4228 This invention relates to supporting means for girders or the like, and concerns more particularly, but by no means exclusively, so-called "horseheads for underslinging safety girders in coal mines: The term horsehead is used in the coal mining industry to indicate a mechanicaldeviceby'meansof' which aglrder can be suspended from another girder.

'Horseheads are used in coal mines to support a portion of the roof atthe coal face, which roof portion is formed bythe under-cutting and shot-firing of the material at the gate road end or lip,or maybe formed where back ripping of the roof of the road leading up to the coal face or other roads is taking place.

Whencoal and other material which has al- .ready been loosened has been cleared away at thelip or ripping the lip or roof, then to be andleaves the roof above the mass unsupported and likely to fall.

To prevent material from fallingfrom the roof onto the miners when they are removing the coal and other material from the mass it is desirable to provide support for the roof above the mass. Further, the roof above theroadways, although supportedusually by props and cross-girders, sinks in course of time until it becomes too low and it is then necessary to remove some of the roof to increase the height of the roadway. When part of the roof has been removed it becomes essential temporarily to support the new roof until the cut away material is removed from beneath it and permanent supporting means can be placed in position. I

The general object of the present inventionis to provide improvements in girder-supporting means, as will be hereinafter described.

A particular aim is the provision of improved horseheads adapted for use in temporarily supporting roof portions of roadways or other parts otamine. I

The girder-supporting means of this invention comprise members provided with jaw portions adapted fohengagemeht with a girder, the said members having pivotal connection with one another and being. themselves adapted to support another girder. ,3 1 g Inorder that the invention may be more clear- 1y understood andfreadily, carried into practical effect, specific examples of, horseheads constructed in accordance therewith will now be described with reference "to the accompanyin drawings, wherein,

Figure 1 is an elevation of one form of horsehead shown in position on a cross-girder, and in turn supporting a safety girder,

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the same as seen in the direction of the arrow A in Figure 1, l

Figure 3 is a part-sectional responding to Figures 1 and 2,

Figure 4 is a detail cross-sectional view taken on the line IV-IV in Figure 1, and

Figures 5 and 6 are views corresponding to Figures 1 and 2 respectively illustrating a further form of horsehead which can be made up of castings.

Like parts are designated by similar reference characters throughout the drawings.

The illustrative horsehead depicted in Figures 1 to 4 comprises two U-shaped members I and 3 each of which is formed by bending a single piece of material. The member I has two spaced arms 5, 5 which extend upwardly and have at their upper ends hooked jaw portions Saadapted to engage over one edge of the lower flange l of a cross or arch girder 9. Each arm 5 has in ita recess ll extending inwardly from the inner face l3 of the said arm. The depth of the recess l l is equal to half the thickness of the arm 5. The opposite faces I5, ii of each recesss H are curved, as'shown in Figure 1.

The second U-shaped member 3 has two spaced arms I1, I! which extend upwardly and have formed therein recesses 19 extending from the outer faces of the arms half-way through the thickness thereof. "As shown in Figure 1, the opposed faces 2| of therecesseslll are curved, and the upper jaw portions I l'a'of the'arms' 11 are hook shaped'and thereby adapted to engage over the other edge of the lower flange l of the girder 9. The arms 5 and I! are laterally thickened at. 23 (Figures 2 and 4), and thus strengthened, atthose locations wherein the re cesses II and I9 are formed. f

The arms may be of anysuitable length and their hooked upper end portions may be shaped to suit the section of the cross or arch girder 9.

During the manufacture of this particular horsehead, the arms 5 and I! of the members I and 3 respectively are so brought together, i. e. by bending, that the portions of the armsat the plan view corbottom of the recesses in one member lie in the appropriate recesses in the arms of the other member. The two members I and 3 are thus pivotally connected together, with. their oppositely inclined pairs of arms crossing each other, and cannot become separated. l

Whilst, as already described, the upper hooked engagement with cross or arch girders oi diifierent sizes.

7 When it is desired to erect safety or horsehead girders beneath the roof of a coal mine where a.

mass of coal and other material has been loosened as aforesaid, a number of the horseheads are placed on each of the three or, tour cross or arch girders of the roadway leadingto the coal face. or close to a part of the roof of a est the li .or part of the roof from'which material has been loosenedas far as is possible over the mass of material, and timbers are placed across the projecting portions of the safety girders to support the roof. The weightof the safetygirders 25, will tend to force-the upper hooked end portions 5a and Na of the arms 5 and against the girder 9 although, if desired, a ring 21 may, as a precautionary measure, be placedaround the lower portions of one arm 5 and one arm I! to prevent the upper hooked portions of the arms from moving apart and becoming released from the girder 9. The ring 27 is movable upwards to release the members I and 3Jfor movement pivotally and, when permitted,

. the ring drops to enable it tofunction with a separate arms in the form of castings which are connected at their lower ends by a rod. In Figures Sand 6, the two composite members or component-s vare'indicated by the numerals l and 3- as :are the equivalent one-piece members in the previously described example. The member or component I has two spaced cast arms 28 which have hooked jaw portions 28a at their upper ends and at their lower ends are bossed to receive 7 the ends of a rod or spindle 29 of circularcrosssection whereby they are connected. The ends of the rod 29 are rigidly secured to the arms'ZB by means of rivets 30. Similarly, the member or component 3 comprises two cast arms 3! which have hooked jaw portions 3m and are connected by a further rod or spindle 32 secured by rivets at 33. The twooomposite members or components I and 3 are pivotally connected together, with their pairs of arms 28 and 3| being oppositely inclined and crossing each other in precisely the same way as in the first described example; in fact the same reference numerals are used in Figures 5 and 6 to indicate the recesses formed in the arms 28 and 3|. Lengths of tubing, constituting rollers 34, are mounted on the ro'ds29 and 3? to facilitate the movement of a girder (such as 25) through the horsehead. Ins e d i .r ,,r. vcn ins t up r h ok ends of the arms 23 and 3| from moving apart,

there is provided, in this modification, a latch.

member 35 which is fulcrumed at one end upon the connecting rod 32. As shown in Figure 5, the opposite end of the latch member 35 has formed therein a slot 36' of righteangular; shape in which the rod 29 of the .U -shaped memberor component I is engaged. The disposition of the slot 33 is such that when, by appropriate manipulation of the member or component I, the latch member 35 is permitted to drop so that the rod 28 becomes located in the comparatively narrow vertical portion 35a of the slot, the upper portions of the arms 28-and 3! will be prevented from moving apart. Conversely. when the latch member 35 is raised, therod 29 will be located in the rela- 'tively wide horizontal portion 36b of the slot,

thereby enabling the upper jaw portions of the arms 28 and 3| to move apart. A washer 31 is interposed between the latch member and the corresponding-roller 34. v

. It will -;be;=apparent that; the herein; described constructional forms of the improved horsehead are :of very simple construction, that its two U-shaped members or composite components cannot become separated when it, is out-of use and that no bolts, screws or the like arerequired to fix it in positionv A horsehead constructedin-either'of.thaways hereinbef-ore described, may ;be modified by; have i-ngtwoof its intereengaging arms made-longer than the-other two arms, thereby enabling-the horsehead-to support a horizontal girder :whilst itself being suspended from an inclined-onxring girder.

it will: be, appreciated that .the girder-supporting means hereinbefore described andillustrated in the drawings may be used in connectionnwith girders shavin cross-sections other than the? section shown, and could evenbeused in con nection with girders which are rectangular in section. Accordingly, wherever the. term girder is used in the appended claimsit istobeconstrued as including girders and the'likeof- -a-ny convenient cross-section and made-cf any suitable material. t 5

What I claim then is:

l. A girder-supporting, device comprising-- -two U-shaped members each consisting of two-initially separate arms whioh are spaced apart and rigidly connected by a cross spindle,-the pair-of arms of one member having loose, interiitting pivotal connection with the arms of the other member, one member withinthe other), and the 7 free ends'of the arms remote from the said cross spindles being shaped forengagement with one girder, while the cross spindles are adaptedto supportanother girder suspended fromthe first mentionedgirder, and a freely rotatable roller mounted on eachcross spindle, for the purpose specified. l

2. A girder-supporting device-comprising two U-shaped members each having spaced arms connected by a cross portion, the arms of gne member crossing and having loose, interfitting pivotal connection with the arms of the other member one member within the other, and the free ends of thearms remote from the crossjportions being shaped for engagement 'with one girder while the aforesaid cross portions are da t o s p o t a ot gir su p d from thenrst mentioned girder, and a ring which mbr h arms f e, .t d iemb s atone Si f he de c th sa d this be ng movab upwardly along the said arms ,tQQreleaselthe members for relative movement downwardly, to prevent movement of the free ends of the arms away from a girder with which they are engaged.

3. A girder-supporting device comprising two U-shaped members each consisting of two initially separate arms which are spaced apart and rigidly connected by a cross spindle, the pair of arms of one member having loose, interfitting pivotal connection with the arms of the other member, one member within the other, and the free ends of the arms remote from the said cross spindles being shaped for engagement with one girder, While the cross spindles are adapted to support another girder suspended from the first mentioned girder, and a latch member which at one end is fulcrumed upon the cross spindle of one of the U-shaped members and at the other end has therein a slot of right angular form through which the cross spindle of the other U- shaped member extends, the said slot having vertical and horizontal portions, and the construction being such that when the latch member is permitted to drop so that the vertical portion of the slot engages over the last mentioned cross spindle, the latch member will function to prevent relative movement of the members, for the purpose specified.

4. A girder-supporting device comprising a ushaped member consisting of two initially separate arms which are spaced apart and rigidly connected by a cross spindle, the inner faces of the said arms having formed therein opposed recesses, a second similarly constructed U-shaped member in the outer faces of the spaced arms of which are formed further recesses, the said recessed portions of the arms of the two members being loosely interengaged so that the members are capable of relative pivotal movement, and the free ends of the arms of both members being hooked for engagement with and to be supported by a girder while the cross spindles of the U- shaped members are adapted to support a second girder suspended below and transversely with respect to the first girder, freely rotatable rollers mounted on the cross spindles, and a latch member which at one end is fulcrumed upon the cross spindle of one of the U-shaped members and at the other end has therein a slot of right angular form through which the cross spindle of the other U-shaped member extends, the said slot having vertical and horizontal portions, and the construction being such that when the latch member is permitted to drop so that the vertical portion of the slot engages over the last mentioned cross spindle, the latch member will function to prevent relative movement of the members, for the purpose specified.

5. A supporting appliance comprising a pair of end frames, each frame being constituted by a pair of crossed arms recessed between their ends and formed for fulcruming and loose interengagement in these recesses, means rigidly interconnecting the outer arms and rigidly interconnecting the inner arms, respectively, of the two frames at the lower end parts of these arms to maintain the appliance assembled, said. arms being formed at their upper ends with jaws for engagement with a support, whereby a member placed on the interconnecting means of the two sets of arms will be carried slung from this support.

6. A supporting appliance as defined in. claim 5, wherein each of said arms is formed to project laterally outwards at the position of the fulcrum recess therein so as to be of substantially uniform transverse cross-sectional area throughout its length.

7. A supporting appliance as defined in claim 5, wherein the recess in each arm is defined at opposed ends by curved faces.

8. A supporting appliance comprising a pair of end frames, each frame being constituted by a pair of crossed arms recessed between their ends and formed for fulcruming and loose interengagement in these recesses, and means rigidly interconnecting the outer arms and rigidly interconnecting the inner arms, respectively, of the two frames at the lower end parts of these arms to maintain the appliance assembled, and means for limiting the opening apart of the lower ends of the frames, said arms being formed at their upper ends with jaws for engagement with a support, whereby a member placed on the interconnecting means of the two sets of arms will be carried slung from this support.

9. A supporting appliance comprising a pair of end frames, each frame being constituted by a pair of crossed arms, recessed between their ends and formed for fulcruming and loose interengagement in these recesses, and separable cross spindles rigidly interconnecting the outer arms REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 460,213 McCarthy Sept. 29, 1891 537,866 Stamsen et al. Apr. 23, 1895 1,343,641 Patterson June 15, 1920 

